Best romance movies on Netflix: Our 19 top picks

Despite the rise of many promising alternatives, Streaming giant Netflix remains one of the top players in the game, with new shows and movies added weekly. Among those is a huge library of romantic movies, including plenty of Netflix originals. So, what are the best romance movies on Netflix?

Below, we offer you our top picks, with 17 romantic titles including comedies, dramas, feel-good gems, classic, new favorites, queer love stories, and plenty more. And if you’re not already a Netflix subscriber, you can sign up by hitting the link below.

• Rating: 10+
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Director: Susan Johnson
• Main cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor, Trezzo Mahoro, Emilija Baranac
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB rating: 7

Lara Jean has been writing letters to her crushes for years. Things get a little messy when those letters are mysteriously mailed to each of the boys in question, signed by their not-so-secret admirer.

This charming teen romcom is one of Netflix’s best original movies and features terrific performances by its young leads. Based on the novel of the same name by Jenny Han, it spawned two sequels and a spinoff series at the streaming site. Fans of She’s All That, Love, Simon, and You’ve Got Mail shouldn’t miss it.

• Rating: 14+
• Runtime: 133 minutes
• Director: Edward Zwick
• Main cast: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas, Karina Lombard, Gordon Tootoosis
• Genre: Drama, Romance, War
• IMDB rating: 7.5

This 90s classic is a family saga about three brothers and their father living on a farm in 1900s America. Over their lives, the family is rocked by nature, history, war, and the love of one woman who becomes an object of affection for all three brothers.

Melodramatic at times, visually gorgeous, and epic in scope, Legends of the Fall is a grand romance and a great choice for fans of historical fiction and love stories like Titanic and Pearl Harbor.

• Rating: 12+
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Director: Barry Jenkins
• Main cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Ethan Barrett, Milanni Mines
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 7.1

Set in 1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk tells the story of two young lovers. When her fiance is falsely imprisoned by a racist judicial system, a pregnant Black woman copes in his absence, hoping for a way to clear his name.

Barry Jenkins followed up his Best Picture Oscar winner Moonlight this this beautiful, heartbreaking story of love and injustice in America, based on the novel of the same name by James Baldwin.

• Rating: 12+
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Director: Nahnatchka Khan
• Main cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves, James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, Daniel Dae Kim
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB rating: 6.7

After 15 years away, celebrity chef Sasha returns to her hometown where she reconnects with an old flame, amateur musician Marcus. As they two rekindle old flames, they struggle to find the right rhythm after so much time apart.

Ali Wong and Randall Park shine as the stars of this Netflix original romcom, with perfect chemistry and charm. A kind of modern-day When Harry Met Sally, Always Be My Maybe is a perfect choice for date night.

• Rating: 5+
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Director: Nora Ephron
• Main cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Rita Wilson
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 6.8

Widower Sam is trying to start fresh in Seattle with his eight-year-old son Jonah. On Christmas Eve, Jonah calls a local radio station withing on the air for a new wife for his dad. Baltimore journalist Annie happens to hear the broadcast and realizes this may be just the opportunity she needed.

Director Nora Ephron is a master of the romcom, reteaming with Meg Ryan, who starred in the Ephron-scripted When Harry Met Sally. Here, the two are joined by Tom Hanks, the team going on to collaborate on You’ve Got Mail a few years later.

• Rating: 11+
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Director: Noah Baumbach
• Main cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever
• Genre: Drama
• IMDB rating: 7.9

A married couple struggles with the challenges of divorce as they try to remain loving and respectful while looking out for their son and managing the logistics of a long-distance parting of ways in this Netflix original that was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Perhaps an odd choice among the best romance movies on Netflix, Marriage Story explores the messier parts of romance and relationships. It’s a thoughtful look at how two people can grow apart and the difficulty of moving in different directions.

• Rating: 13+
• Runtime: 83 minutes
• Director: Jim Strouse
• Main cast: Jessica Williams, Chris O’Dowd, Noël Wells, Lakeith Stanfield, Megan Ketch, Zabryna Guevara, Susan Heyward
• Genre: Comedy
• IMDB rating: 6.5

Reeling from a bad breakup, Jessica James, a struggling playwright meets a divorced app designer on a blind date and forms an unlikely connection, giving love a second chance.

Jessica Williams is a born star, and she elevates this Netflix original romcom with her talent and charm.

• Rating: 10+
• Runtime: 123 minutes
• Director: Jeff Nichols
• Main cast: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Michael Shannon, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, Bill Camp, Sharon Blackwood
• Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 7

Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, face prejudice and eventually legal troubles when they are arrested for their marriage in Virginia and fight for their right to be together.

Based on the true story of the Lovings, who took their fight all the way to the US Supreme Court, Loving is a necessary reminder of the dark legacy of anti-miscegenation laws and the strength of two people unwilling to be kept apart on such racist grounds.

• Rating: 13+
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Main cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois, Vanda Capriolo
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 7.8

Teenager Elio develops feelings for the older adult man hired as his father’s research assistant in 1980s Italy in this romantic drama. Soon, the two embark on a whirlwind romance.

Luca Guadagnino’s gorgeously shot love story is a moving coming-of age story focused on a queer awakening. It features a star-making performance for Timothée Chalamet and is one of the best romantic films on Netflix.

• Rating: 9+
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Director: Brian Helgeland
• Main cast: Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Laura Fraser, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
• IMDB rating: 6.9

When his mentor dies, a knight’s apprentice sees his chance to rise to glory, posing as the knight to be crowned tournament champion. But love gets in the way as the would-be knight falls for a fair maiden.

Featuring contemporary music and dialogue, A Knight’s Tale is an anachronistic gem that has developed a well-earned cult following since its release.

• Rating: 10+
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Main cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Camilla Rutherford, Gina McKee, Brian Gleeson, Harriet Sansom Harris
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 7.4

Famed British dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock becomes infatuated when he meets Alma, a young woman who soon becomes his muse and lover in 1950s London. The confirmed bachelor’s meticulously orchestrated life soon upset by the strong-willed woman’s presence.

A gorgeous film with a career-best performance from Daniel Day-Lewis — and an equally stunning turn by Vicky Krieps — Phantom Thread is one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s best films and one of the best romance movies on Netflix.

• Rating: 10+
• Runtime: 139 minutes
• Director: Cameron Crowe
• Main cast: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kelly Preston, Jerry O’Connell, Jay Mohr, Regina King
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 7.3

Jerry Maguire is a high-powered sports agent. When he loses his job, questioning his life’s purpose, he embraces the second chance, hoping to make it out on top. Along the way, he realizes there’s more to life than the job and falls head over heels for the enigmatic single mother who has joined him on his solo endeavor.

An infinitely quotable classic that won Cuba Gooding Jr. an Oscar, Jerry Maguire is among the best romance movies on Netflix, cementing the phrase “you complete me” in the history of famous Hollywood love lines.

• Rating: 11+
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Director: Alice Wu
• Main cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Enrique Murciano, Wolfgang Novogratz, Catherine Curtin, Becky Ann Baker
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 6.9

When a shy, bookish teen agrees to help a jock win over the girl he has a crush on, she has no idea she’s about to develop feelings for the same girl in this Netflix original teen romcom.

A kind of queer teen take on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, The Half of It is a charming coming-of-age romance sure to win over fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Love, Simon.

• Rating: 13+
• Runtime: 109 minutes
• Director: Aline Brosh McKenna
• Main cast: Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Jesse Williams, Zoë Chao, Steve Zahn, Tig Notaro, Wesley Kimmel
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB rating: 5.6

Best friends Debbie and Peter are polar opposites living on different coasts. When they swap homes for a week, they get a chance to take a closer look at each other’s lives and imagine a future together.

This Netflix original romcom features the always charming Reese Witherspoon and is a great choice for fans of Friends with Benefits, When Harry Met Sally, and Just Go With It.

• Rating: 13+
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Director: Todd Haynes
• Main cast: Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy, John Magaro, Cory Michael Smith
• Genre: Drama
• IMDB rating: 7.2

At a department-store in 1950s New York, an aspiring photographer who works as a store clerk dreams of a better life. One day, she falls for an older, married woman. When the two form a romantic bond,they’re forced to recon with difficult consequences.

Todd Haynes brings us one of the best romance movies on Netflix in this queer modern classic, featuring knockout performances from Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett.

• Rating: 12+
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Director: Ritesh Batra
• Main cast: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Matthias Schoenaerts, Iain Armitage, Judy Greer, Phyllis Somerville, Bruce Dern
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• IMDB rating: 6.9

Two neighbors, a widow and widower, have lived next door to each other for years, barely exchanging any words in that time. That changes when Addie takes a chance at finding love again and makes a move.

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda have had undeniable onscreen chemistry since their early roles together in the 1960s, and Our Souls at Night makes great use of its stars in this romantic drama.

• Rating: 8+
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Director: Donald Petrie
• Main cast: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Kathryn Hahn, Annie Parisse, Adam Goldberg, Thomas Lennon, Michael Michele
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB rating: 6.4

Magazine columnist Andie needs to prove she can get a guy to dump her in 10 days while Ben is out to prove he can get a girl to fall in love with him in the same timespan. In a twist of fate, they meet and single each other out for their incompatible experiments.

This 2000s romcom classic is certainly among the best romance movies on Netflix. It’s a screwball comedy that nod’s the best of the genre’s history while embracing the silliness of it’s very 2000s premise. Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey are an absolute treat. If you like My Best Friend’s Wedding, While You Were Sleeping, Father of the Bride, or The Holiday, you should add it to your watchlist.

• Rating: 17+
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Director: Axelle Laffont
• Main cast: Virginie Ledoyen, Marie-Josée Croze, Axelle Laffont, Matthias Dandois, Victor Meutelet, Waël Sersoub, Florence Thomassin
• Genre: Comedy
• IMDB rating: 4.8

Three childhood friends in their 40s vacationing together in southern France meet three handsome young men who show an immediate interest in the older women. The three women embark on an affair with the men, testing the notion that age is just a number.

This French sex comedy is a Netflix original film that looks at romance through an unconventional lens, embracing the possibilities of a sexy summer vacation.

• Rating: 8+
• Runtime: 129 minutes
• Director: Damien Chazelle
• Main cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons, Amiée Conn, Terry Walters
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
• IMDB rating: 8

Two struggling, aspiring artists have their love for each other tested as opportunity calls and their competing ambitions take center stage.

Now remembered more for its false Oscar win than on its own merits, La La Land is nonetheless a terrific throwback to an earlier age of Hollywood, with solid performances and dance numbers.